Microteaching

-What? -Why? -How?

-What is meant by “ Microteaching “?

-Microteaching can be defined as a training context in which a teacher’s situation has been reduced in scope or simplified in some systematic ways. It has long been used as a professional development tool in inservice teacher training programmes. It’s seen as an inservice tool which is beneficial to all involved in both the learning and teaching processes.

-Microteaching in brief, is a training technique that aims at the professional growth or at least the development of inservice teachers or trainees. Microteaching helps teachers to better understand the process of teaching and learning and to acquire new teaching techniques.

-Why do teachers need Microteaching?

Teachers no doubt need Microteaching because .. -It’s an effective technique for professional growth for inservice teacher trainees.

-It’s a very good tool for reflection as it helps teachers to scrutinize their own teaching so as to discover their strengths and weakness.

-It’s a very good means to focus on certain areas of teaching to view them from other different perspectives or teaching styles.

-It makes teachers conscious of developing their own skills and strategies while teaching.

-It helps teachers to pursue self-initiated, self-directed and self-observed growth.

-It gives teachers a real chance to criticize, either positively or negatively, their own work.

Compiled & Prepared by: Magdy Hamed Ali / ELT Supervisor / Al Farwaniya Educational Area1

-How could we get the utmost benefit of “Microteaching“ as a training technique ?

-To achieve the above goal, it’s a must to go through the following varied aspects …………

A)-Stages of Microteaching.B)-Preparing a microlesson.C)-Teaching microlesson.D)-Following up the microlesson.

A)-Stages of Microteaching:-

-There are four distinct stages of the process of microteaching. These stages are …………

*-The briefing stage -Teachers receive information on the skill to be practised and the method to be used.

*-The teaching stage -The trainee teaches the microlesson, and if possible the microlesson is videotaped or audio recorded.

*-The analysis stage -The trainee’s microlesson is reviewed, discussed, analyzed and evaluated.

*-The reteaching stage -The trainee re-teaches the micro lesson applying those points raised during the discussion or analysis stage aiming at improving his teaching performance.

B)-Preparing a microlesson:--It can be prepared either by an individual or a group of teacher trainees.

-The objectives or aims and the procedures of the microlesson should be clear enough to be dealt with.

-It is always advisable to use a variety of teaching aids such as cards, actions, gestures and even drawings on the board to facilitate teaching the microlesson.-The lesson should last from five to ten minutes only.

Compiled & Prepared by: Magdy Hamed Ali / ELT Supervisor / Al Farwaniya Educational Area2

C)-Teaching micro lessons:- -This is the interactive stage of microteaching where the trainee puts into practice what the group has planned.

-The main task of the teacher or the trainee in microteaching is to practise one skill at a time.

-The size of the class is usually fewer than ten students ( sometimes four or five ). Students may be real students or fellow trainees.

-Microteaching should be in a school setting as school based microteaching creates a positive atmosphere among participants.

-Though the microlesson is always short, it should generate useful discussions.

-During the teaching the fellow trainees ( teachers ) take notes that they can use during the reflective discussions after the microlesson. -Supervisors shouldn’t interfere with the microlesson in any way to reduce pressure on the teacher or the trainee and to create a relaxing teaching atmosphere.

-Remember that observation during the microlesson is a learning experience and experience provides insights into the learning problems.

D)-Following up the microlesson:--The follow up should include analyzing, discussing and interpreting the data and experiences acquired reflecting on the new experiences.

*-Conclusion:- -Some people argued that microteaching is both risky and costly procedure as trainees or inservice teachers may be exposed to criticism and there are costs ( time and resources ) used in microteaching . Yet, microteaching should be considered a positive experience because it aids in the gradual development of expertise and minimizes the risk of failure in the classroom.*-References :--“ Reflective Teaching in Second Language Classroom ”Richards, J and C Lockhart 1994.-“ Training Foreign Language Teachers “ Wallace, M. 1991.-“ Classroom Observation Tasks “Wajnryb, R. 1997.

Compiled & Prepared by: Magdy Hamed Ali / ELT Supervisor / Al Farwaniya Educational Area3